Pat Henshaw

On his thirtieth birthday, barista Jimmy Patterson decides to get rip-roaring drunk after his roommate-boyfriend abandons him at a bar in the tiny California foothills town of Stone Acres where they have relocated from San Francisco. Jimmy is immediately rescued by the burly owner of Stonewall Saloon, who has had his eye on Jimmy since the first time he came in months before.<br><br>Jimmy’s fine with being saved but wants to know the bartender’s real name since the guy has worn name tags with an assortment of names every time Jimmy has spoken to him. After Jimmy nicknames him Guy, the bartender decides to turn guessing his first name into a game, giving Jimmy a guess a day for a week and promising to wine and dine him during that time. If Jimmy’s guess is wrong, he owes Guy a zing-zow, knock-your-socks-off kiss. Jimmy agrees since this sounds like a slam-dunk, win-win deal.<br><br>While he searches for cringe-worthy given names, Jimmy is distracted by the destruction of his shopping mall coffee shop. He is also beset by the town council that doesn’t want him to buy an historic bank building in Old Town Stone Acres to set up another coffee shop. The celestial high of being romanced by Guy and the abyss of business worries don’t seem like the road to happily ever after. However, Jimmy and Guy might be in for a big surprise.

What’s in a Name?

He studied me, as if deciding on something huge. My hand moved over the helmet, caressing it. I started to turn away, trying to decide whether to go into the apartment or just get in the car and give myself breathing room.


His voice stopped me. I looked over my shoulder at the building, then down the parking lot where Alex’s car sat next to mine.


I was starting to get really, really pissed. I knew I had to act fast. Get in, scoop up my stuff—at least enough to live on until I could get the rest—and leave. If I stood still long enough in the apartment, Alex and I would end up getting into a shouting match. Then I would waste a lot of time. It was late in the day. I refused to have that damn apartment be my only choice for sleep tonight. And I couldn’t burden my new friend by staying with him another night.


He was standing next to his bike, on guard, watching me. He’d asked me to hold on.


“Sure. What’s up?” I couldn’t imagine what else we had to talk about right now.


Chapter 7